Fusion at its Best
My Mom: Country Asian Chef and Teacher of the Year
My mother was born in Hunan, China, grew up in Taiwan, and immigrated to the U.S. to attend graduate school. Her dream was to become a journalist but decided to became a schoolteacher. First landing with a host family in Houston, Margaret got her first job working in the law office of her dear “Jewish ... Continue Reading

Next to ginger and soy sauce, MSG is probably the most common "spice" associated with Chinese restaurants, especially popular Chinese takeout food. While some people may be allergic and others experience distinct negative physical reactions (like Dad), there are some who don't seem to be affected by MSG (or don't know they are). Companies that use it claim that there is "no ... Continue Reading

https://vimeo.com/69388655
My mom invented Chinese fast food long before Panda Express ever came along. She told friends, “I worked full-time as a school teacher, had three kids, and they didn’t sell tofu or soy sauce at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store back then. Who had time to make dumplings for dinner?”
Margaret was way ahead of the popular cooking class trend. She ... Continue Reading

https://vimeo.com/69388655
Natalie shares about growing up in Smyrna, Georgia and how family dinners and fusion comfort food like "five spice rutabaga" and mom's Hot Hunan Catfish helped her cope with being different and one of the few Asian families in town. ... Continue Reading

Getting Real Asian, Real Southern PeachDish Magazine article Natalie Keng The Joy of Being Yourself
As a little kid, I thought it was only about being Chinese. That's what I was teased about so that's how I defined yourself--foreign, different, un-American. In actuality, as a native Georgian, I'm not only more American, but "more Southern" than most ... Continue Reading

Dad loves jokes and is a great joke-teller. Sometimes he translates Chinese jokes into English for us and other times, they lose meaning in English (play on tones or vocabulary) so he tells them in lively Chinese! Since Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language (Be careful: don't call your mother a horse (same word, different tones!) These are the times I am glad that I can speak ... Continue Reading

Ni Hao, Y'All! Here's Natalie Keng, guest host of Georgia Traveler TV, showing you how to make one of her favorite and most popular recipes, Asian Napa Slaw (aka Harvard Hottie Salad).
Watch Cooking Lesson: Asian Napa Salad (#808, starts 13:22)
Did you miss Natalie's other episodes or want a re-take on the list of eateries and recipe ingredients? Highlights include a ... Continue Reading